The Therapy Journal
This is where psychotherapy steps out of the session and into conversation. From our defences that shape our daily lives to the emotions that drive our choices, these pieces explore the human mind through a psychodynamic lens.
Whether clinical or cultural, every post asks the same question: what happens when we stop avoiding our feelings?
Where therapy meets everyday life…
Core Emotions and the Body
Emotions start as activation in the body. This article explores how anger, grief, guilt, shame and love first show up physiologically, and why tracking posture, breathing, and muscle tension matters in therapy.
From Pattern to Presence: How Early States Shape What We’re Drawn To
What repeatedly pulls our attention is often linked to early emotional states rather than the object itself. This article explores how patterns form, why repetition happens under stress, and how therapy helps restore choice through understanding state rather than content.
Emotional Fragility and the Need for a Raft in Intensive Therapy
Written for therapists, this article explores emotional fragility in depth work and why building containment before intensity prevents collapse. A practical reflection on capacity, countertransference, and why slowing down often protects both therapist and client.
What the Latest UK Therapy Data Really Tells Us and What It Means If You’re Thinking About Therapy
Therapy has quietly become mainstream in the UK, with more than a third of adults having tried it, and most finding it helpful. But beneath anxiety and stress, loneliness is often the real driver. As therapy moves online and into everyday life, this piece explores why human connection still matters, how to choose support wisely, and what actually makes therapy work.
The Therapy FAD? Rethinking our Feelings, Anxiety and Defences Across Modalities
Most struggles follow a simple human sequence: feelings stir anxiety, and anxiety brings defences online. This post reframes that pattern as survival instead of pathology, and explores how therapy becomes transformative when anxiety is regulated and defences are read as signals, instead of obstacles.